New York‘s top cop on Tuesday ordered his 35,000 officers retrained in the use of force as an incensed lawmaker called the death of a dad placed in a banned chokehold “murder.”
As cries for justice resounded on the steps of City Hall over Eric Garner’s demise in police custody, an autopsy on the asthmatic father of six proved inconclusive, and a spokeswoman for the medical examiner said further tests would be needed.
“This was a murder,” state Sen. Bill Perkins declared at a City Hall rally. “Without even being arrested, he was choked to death. It’s outrageous. It’s unacceptable.”
Garner, 43, died after being taken down by cops, allegedly for selling bootleg cigarettes on a Staten Island sidewalk. A cell phone video shot by a witness shows him repeatedly pleading “I can’t breathe” after being placed in a chokehold by a cop.
The incident has prompted a criminal investigation by the Staten Island district attorney and reviews by other agencies. The NYPD banned chokeholds in 1994 after a Bronx man, Anthony Baez, was killed by an officer who placed him in one.

In an afternoon press conference, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton called Garner’s death “very tragic” and ordered Deputy Commissioner of Training Benjamin Tucker to conduct a “top-to-bottom” review of instruction on the use of force.
“This department clearly needs to do more training,” said Bratton, adding that he anticipates “a retraining of every member of the New York Police Department.” To that end, he plans to dispatch a team to look at using the Los Angeles Police Department’s “state-of-the-art” training as a template.